A teenager recently lost his life in a tragic crash in Georgia, leaving his surviving family members grieving and questioning how the accident could have occurred. The wreck also injured four other individuals. The car accident happened along a busy interstate in Atlanta.
According to police, a sport utility vehicle and car were going south along Georgia 400 at about 3:30 p.m. That is when the two vehicles crashed. The car and driver left the scene of the collision.
Meanwhile, the sport utility vehicle flipped over. A 17-year-old passenger in the sport utility vehicle was killed as a result of the crash, and the other four people riding in the vehicle suffered injuries and were taken to the hospital. Police reported that they were able to locate the driver of the car that left the scene and that charges were pending.
The surviving family members of the teenager who died in the Georgia car accident may choose to file a wrongful death claim against the driver of the car (as well as any separate owner of the vehicle), seeking a judgment for monetary damages. If the car driver ends up being criminally charged and then convicted of those charges, proof of the conviction may be offered in a related civil court proceeding in an effort to establish liability. Liability must be established before the court before claims for monetary damages will be decided. Monetary compensation cannot undo the events that caused the teenager’s death, but it may help his family to cover his burial costs as well as address emotional distress and pain and suffering caused by the fatal accident.
Source: 11alive.com, “Teen identified as victim in fatal GA 400 hit-and-run crash”, Adrianne Haney, March 23, 2017
